- US defends law forcing sale of TikTok app
- Messi out for defending champ Miami as Leagues Cup begins
- Australia bans uranium mining at Indigenous site
- Divers attempt to reach sunken Philippine oil tanker
- Trump accuses Harris of anti-Semitism in overblown speech
- Coughlin clings to lead at LPGA Canadian Women's Open
- Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
- Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
- What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
- Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
- Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
- 'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
- 'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
- Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
- Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
- Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
- The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
- Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
- Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
- Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
- Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
- New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
- NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
- Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
- Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
- Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
- Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
- Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
- West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
- Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
- Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
- Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
- S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
- Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
- Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
- G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
- European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
- Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
- Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
- Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
- Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
- Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
- Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
- Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
- Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin to leave in August
- Ethiopia declares three days of mourning after landslide tragedy
- Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list
- Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
- French Rugby's Jaminet suspended 34 weeks after racist video: Federation
- Osaka looking to turbo-charge comeback at Paris Olympics
Democratic US senator's stroke threatens Biden agenda
A US senator was resting in hospital Wednesday after suffering a stroke from which he is expected to recover fully, although it threatens to throw the Democrats' agenda into disarray until his return.
Ben Ray Lujan, 49, underwent brain surgery to relieve swelling late last week and remains hospitalized, his office said, with no clear timetable for how long he will be sidelined.
As he recovers, Democrats effectively lose their advantage in the Senate, which was split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the tie-breaking vote.
Unlike in the House, senators must vote in person.
Party leaders fear that advancing White House priorities such as a stalled social spending bill and confirming a Supreme Court justice on a party-line vote may now prove complicated.
A brain bleed in 2006 took Democrat Tim Johnson out of Senate action for around nine months when he was 59 years old, while Republican Mark Kirk's stroke in 2012 laid him low for a full year at age 52.
"Early Thursday morning Senator Lujan began experiencing dizziness and fatigue," his chief of staff Carlos Sanchez said in a statement.
"He checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe. He was then transferred to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation.
"Senator Lujan was found to have suffered a stroke in the cerebellum, affecting his balance. As part of his treatment plan, he subsequently underwent decompressive surgery to ease swelling."
President Joe Biden said he expects to announce his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer by the end of this month and has vowed to pick a Black woman.
The first Senate confirmation hearings would not likely take place until several weeks later, with a vote expected in late March at the earliest.
But Biden would need at least one Republican vote if Lujan's recovery takes more than a few weeks.
Ketanji Brown Jackson, the early favorite to replace Breyer, won support from three Republican senators last year when she moved up to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
If Lujan were unable to return to work at all, Democratic New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham would appoint his replacement.
In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will likely focus on judicial nominations or legislation with clear cross-party backing.
A government funding deal or a Russian sanctions package would likely be unaffected, but without Lujan the planned resurrection of the divisive Build Back Better social welfare package appears dead in the water.
And the prospects for legislation aimed at ending supply chain woes and countering competition from China in the next month are also shaky.
"I'm glad to hear my friend Senator Lujan is recovering," New Jersey Democratic senator Cory Booker tweeted.
"Praying for him and his family as he gets back to full strength."
A.P.Maia--PC